


Owen Harper is Bisexual: The Evidence

by bisexualowenharper



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Bisexual Owen Harper, Bisexuality, Canon Bisexual Character, Character Analysis, Gen, LGBTQ Themes, Meta
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-10
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-03-29 14:18:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13928823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisexualowenharper/pseuds/bisexualowenharper
Summary: A look into the presentation of Owen's bisexuality throughout the show, with a different focus in each chapter.





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> I don't necessarily need to prove Owen's bisexuality, because it's canon, but a lot of people still write him as a Very Straight Man, so, hey, maybe I do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't necessarily need to prove Owen's bisexuality, because it's canon, but a lot of people still write him as a Very Straight Man, so, hey, maybe I do.

Russell T Davies described Torchwood as "a very bisexual programme". Four out of five of the main cast of characters were shown in canon to be LGBT, as well as various minor characters, not all of whom were just love interests for the main cast, which presents the care that the writers handled their LGBT characters with. In Torchwood, the LGBT characters are not there to simply be the token gay character for minority viewing points, or even to just be the love interest for an underdeveloped gay character on the show, and not there for a one-episode cameo to teach the heterosexual protagonists a lesson. In Torchwood, the LGBT characters _are_ the protagonists. 

However, the LGBT characters in the show are not all treated the same in reagards to their sexuality. It is arguable which non-heterosexual character best represents the life of a real life non-heterosexual person. Both the writers, and quite a large portion of the fandom, sometimes seem to forget that some of these characters are in fact LGBT. Of course, Russell T Davies wanted to present the fluidity of sexuality and of sexual orientation in these characters, but some character's non-heterosexual tendencies are often pushed aside in favour of a male/female romance instead. That's not to say Torchwood is all bad at LGBT representation, because it's definitely not. 

So, a quick run through of the main five character's canon sexualities:

Captain Jack Harkness is bi/omni/pansexual, depending on which person you're talking to. The writers often said he was pansexual, due to his attraction to aliens, but this doesn't really make sense, as in the show, aliens often have binary genders. However, Jack can still be considered pansexual. Other writers would say that Jack was bisexual. Personally, I think either identity can be applied to him, but I usually say that he is pansexual.

Toshiko Sato and Ianto Jones are both bisexual, having romantic, and sexual, relationships with both men and women. Toshiko has a romantic and sexual relationship, with both Mary and Tommy Brockless. Ianto has a romantic and sexual relationship with Lisa, as well as Jack. Ianto is later shown to identify as what can be considered as "straight with an exception", in Children of Earth, claiming that "It's not men, it's just [Jack]." Despite this, Gareth David-Lloyd played Ianto as a bisexual character, and up until that point, there were no doubts that Ianto was bisexual, which he is. He may not identify himself with that label on the show, but it doesn't make a difference to the fact that he has been attracted to both men and women, thus making him bisexual.

Gwen Cooper is (most likely) straight. Gwen does have a female/female kiss with Carys in Day One, but she was under the influence of alien pheromones, and there's no evidence that Gwen would have otherwise been attracted to her. To me, Gwen is very clearly written as a straight character, which can be seen by her reactions to, and the way she treats the other LGBT characters.

Owen Harper is canonically bisexual, but his bisexuality is actually shown more subtly than Jack, Ianto, and even Toshiko's sexuality is. The audience see Jack and Ianto's relationship develop throughout series one to three, and they are shown to be both sexually and romantically involved. Toshiko got an entire episode dedicated to her relationship with another woman (Mary). Owen, however, does not get to be seen being involved in a romantic same-gender relationship, which is probably why a lot of people often dismiss his bisexuality. But, it is there, and I think it's wrong to erase his sexuality just because he doesn't get to have a gay love interest on the show.

Torchwood is a show with a largely LGBT cast of characters, both major and minor. It was created by an openly gay man, and Jack, a fan favourite, iconic sci-fi character who immensely helped normalise LGBT characters, was played by another openly gay man. The show had, and still has, a huge LGBT following.

Some treatments of LGBT characters and themes can be seen as quite outdated-Torchwood did air more than ten years ago now- but it was still a stepping stone for LGBT representation in fiction. It showed that just because a character wasn't straight, doesn't mean that that's their only character trait. These characters are well-written, strong, smart, interesting. They have backstories, troubles, lives. They are good, they are bad, they are brilliant. None of them are the token bisexual friend who is just there for a one liner and then leaves. Torchwood is the show where LGBT people can be heroes! Most shows these days don't have anywhere near as good LGBT representation as they did.

A show like this deserves correct treatment of its LGBT characters. We all have characters we love and relate to so much, and for me, Owen is one of those characters. I identify with him a lot, and, as a bisexual man, his bisexuality is a very important topic for me, and I want people to understand and realise that he is not straight (I think your point of view on his sexuality changes his character dramatically depending on whether you consider him to be straight or bisexual).

That is why, in the following chapters, I'll be posting analysis and evidence of Owen's bisexuality as shown throughout the show, as well as some of the other Torchwood content (like the novels). I may sometimes write about the other characters here (or maybe in a different work), but will focus mostly on Owen because I think he is a very interesting character to analyse, and because he is the member of the team whose canon sexuality is dismissed most commonly by the writers and fandom alike.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyways, thanks for reading, please comment and kudos if you like it! If there's any spelling mistakes or whatever, let me know!


	2. Everything Changes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's part two! I also edited the intro a bit so it's more readable and, well, better. Again, let me know if I made any typos.
> 
> Enjoy!

Everything Changes is the first episode of the first series of Torchwood. In other words, it is Torchwood's starting point. Everything Changes gives the audience our first look into the world of Torchwood, and, importantly, our first look at the main characters. 

While mostly focusing on Gwen and Jack, and while helping to ease the audience into a brand new world, this episode does give us small moments with each one of the main characters, approximately halfway/three quarters of the way into the episode. 

Summed up:

  * Jack takes Gwen to the pub, smiles at her and chats with her for a bit, and retcons her. 
  * Gwen asks Jack questions about Torchwood, . When she realises she has been drugged, she runs home, and she writes herself notes, to help herself remember what she has learnt about them
  * Ianto doesn't show up too much during the episode, but is shown hacking into Gwen's computer, to erase her gathered information about Torchwood.
  * Suzie has taken the resurrection gauntlet/risen mitten home with her. She's trying it out, on a dead fly. 
  * Toshiko has also taken home a piece of alien technology, and is using it to transfer text from books onto her computer. 
  * Owen's stolen object of choice is an alien pheromone spray. He uses it to pick up, and then sleep with a woman, and her boyfriend.



All of the above are character defining moments. Everything Changes is the first episode of the first series- the audience aren't familiar with these characters yet! So, this is an introduction to the cast. Each one of these moments help to give us a glimpse into each one of the character's personalities, to give us a vague idea of who they are. They are set up so that the audience are able to understand which character fits into each basic trope (for example, Tosh is the "geek", and Owen is "the lad"). We are also able to pick out distinct traits that we can associate with each character. That is why this moments are so significant into our understanding of these characters. These moments are also relevant to the character's portrayal throughout the entire show's run, which is why I stressed the importance of them. 

So, what can we tell about our them from the above moments? 

  * Jack is charismatic, charming, but has a dark side to him- he flashes grins at Gwen all throughout their drinks, but has no problem retconning her afterwards. Jack's grey morality and charisma are both present throughout the show's entire run.
  * Gwen is curious, eager for answers. And when something stands in her way (the retcon), she is still determined, and does everything she can to make herself remember Torchwood. This curious, determined personality carries on throughout the show. 
  * Ianto doesn't show up much, just as he remains in the background for the first part of series one. He does more than he is credited for- hacking into Gwen's computer, even though it's not his speciality. Again, Ianto being a jack of all trades is repeatedly shown throughout the show.
  * Suzie is driven by obsession. Her playing with the resurrection gauntlet shows this dark, morbid side of her, that is later shown when she confronts Gwen. It leads to her death. 
  * Toshiko is hungry for knowledge. She likes books, she likes technology. She is obviously presented as "the smart one"- instead of using the alien tech for negative reasons, she just wants to learn. This secures her place as the typical "nerd" of the group. 



And, finally, we take a look at Owen.

Owen's defining moment says a _lot_ about his personality, and the role he is going to fit in the upcoming episodes of the show (series one in particular). 

Firstly, we see him looking at himself in the mirror, in his bathroom. He inspects his own hair, and fixes it into the style that he likes- gelled, slightly spiked up. This small part tells us quite a few things about Owen.

Mirrors are associated with vanity, but also with insecurity. People who often look in mirrors are worried about how they look. Having Owen's first singular scene have him inspecting himself in the mirror is significant. It tells the audience that Owen is someone who cares a lot about his appearance, and cares about the way he presents himself to other people. This shows that he has an image of himself that he wants to create, ie. the typical straight man. 

Hair style is one of many things that can help a person present their personality. Humans associate particular personality traits with particular physical traits- for example, how people with long, blonde hair are assumed to be bouncy, and fun. The style of someone's hair is a part of someone's identity, and can tell you just as much about someone's personality than their fashion sense can. So, what can we tell about Owen from his haircut?

His hair is short, like most men's haircuts, showing that he wants people to think of him as masculine. What is associated with masculinity, toughness, and strength in modern society? Male heterosexuality. From birth, men are pushed to this standard.

Heterosexuality is widely considered "the norm" (and would have been moreso during the 1980s and 1990s when Owen was growing up). Homosexuality goes against the idea of the typical man/woman dynamic, so heterosexual people pushed the stereotype that in a gay relationship, the stronger, more dominant partner is the "man", and the smaller/weaker/effeminine partner is the "woman". When straight people see effeminite men, they immediately assume that they are gay, because they associate those particular traits and a particular style with homosexuality. Straight men don't want others to assume that they are gay because it is a threat to their masculinity, so they make themselves as typically "manly" as they can. A large reason why men are so scared to even consider the idea that they may be gay is because they don't want to come across as the "woman" in the relationship, and don't want to appear weak. Owen's insecurites can be attributed to his his bringing up, and how he has been affected by society- he can't allow himself to look a certain way, because it will give people "the wrong idea". Owen can control how others perceive him, so he pushes himself to appear more masculine (more tough), so that people will look at him, and think, "He's straight."

These gender stereotypes that straight people are pushed to and mostly try to adhere to (women=weak, men=strong) can be seen in the common haircuts of both genders. Women usually have long, soft hair, which is seen as beautiful, and makes them appear kinder. Men have short hair, that makes them appear almost rougher, and more intimidating.

Owen also spikes his hair up. Spikes are scary. They help create a sense of edge around Owen, the image of someone who is not to be messed with. It helps him to seem a bad boy, a rebel- something society says that heterosexual women are attracted to.  Owen thinks that if he keeps up his bad boy persona, women will want him.

Bad boy types are often seen as womanisers- the ideal male heterosexual dream, a man who can get any women he wants, a "player". No one looks at a man with a woman on each arm and considers that he might be attracted to men, which is why Owen wants to push this bad boy image of himself. This way, he doesn't have to confront his bisexuality upfront, and he doesn't have to deal with his emotions surrounding it.

Owen's main goal in how he presents himself is to seem heterosexual, to hide his bisexuality from society. He has grown up with internalised homo/biphobia from his childhood and adolescence. In his mind, people aren't supposed to be able to tell he's bisexual, because it's wrong, so he hides it a way he's been taught to since birth, by being as masculine as he possibly can.

The most notable appearance Owen makes in Everything Changes is when he uses an alien pheromone spray in a club. The website tells us that the spray "makes the user irresistibly attractive to anyone, male or female". Owen uses it to pick up a woman (whose name is given in the episode as "Linda"). They kiss, and leave the club, and it is clearly implied that they are leaving to go and have sex. This scene tells the audience what they already assumed as the default- Owen is sexually attracted to women. He is supposedly straight. 

Linda's boyfriend (name given as Colin) sees her with Owen, and confronts them about it. Colin is angry, and tries to start a fight with Owen, saying "Do you want to have a go, do you? Do you want to have a go? Come on then, mate!" . 

Owen responds "Well, if it makes it easier..." and sprays himself with the alien spray. Colin kisses Owen, hard. 

There's a lot of things to note in this scene. 

Firstly, the way Owen says "Well, if it makes it easier..." sounds as if he is trying to play it off as something he has to do as a last resort, like " _Well_ , if I _really_ have to". However, it isn't a last resort. The rest of the series presents Owen as someone who is not scared of violence. He is a good fighter, and usually has no problem with getting into a fight if he has to. Colin hasn't started to hurt Owen physically, so there is no reason for Owen to use the spray, except for physical attraction. If Owen really didn't want to fight, he could have just backed down, and found any other woman he wanted to sleep with. Instead, he looks at Colin, and decides he'll sleep with him, too.

Due to internalised homophobia and insecurity, the large majority of heterosexual men would much rather fight a man than sleep with him as a last resort situatuion, so the fact that Owen is willing to have sex with Colin points to him not being heterosexual.

Furthermore, Owen is shown to be sexually attracted towards Colin, even when Colin is shouting at him, and basically asking for a fight. This fits in with what we see in Owen's relationship with sex later on in the series, which I'll explore later on in further chapters. In a nutshell, Owen is often seen to be able to get aroused in dangerous, tense situations. His attraction to Colin is the first example of this. 

Now, let's talk about the acting. Facial expressions are a key part of portraying a character's feelings, and personality. 

Owen comes across as very confident and cocky while using the spray, as shown when he is talking to Linda in the bar. He seems very sure of himself, so it is likely he has used it before. Considering he picks up both a woman and a man on this occassion and doesn't seem bothered by it, it is not a stretch at all that he may have taken home both genders before.

Most people who consider themselves heterosexual would be shocked and unable to deal with being with someone of the same gender for the first time (shown later in the series with Tosh's insecurity with Mary, and Ianto's with Jack).

Owen doesn't have this sexuality crisis- he just smiles, and gets on with it, making it likely that Owen has had homosexual experiences (kisses, sex) before, and is comfortable doing so. With this information, it is not a stretch to consider that Owen could be the member of Torchwood who has been having same-gender sexual relationships the longest (besides Jack, of course). Despite this, Ianto and Toshiko both have same-gender love interests during the show, but Owen doesn't, which is odd because he does have same-gender love interests. This shows how the treatment of bisexuality by the writers differs from character to character.

  * Now, let's compare Owen's (male/female) kiss with Linda to his (male/male) kiss with Colin.



Here is Owen kissing Linda:

In the first picture, Linda has her arms around Owen's neck. Obviously, this is bodily contact, which is something usually reserved for people you know well, and/or people you are intimate with. Touching someone's neck and shoulders has been shown scientifically to help influence attraction, and shows intimacy between two people. 

In the second picture, she is holding his collar. This almost seems possessive. Owen is smiling at her. He enjoyed the kiss with her, which shows his sexual interest in women. 

Here's Owen directly after doing spraying himself the second time (to seduce Colin):

He's smiling, in quite a flirtatious way, as if he is coming onto someone. However, Owen has already put on the spray. He doesn't need to put on a show of seducing Colin-he's already got him. He's smiling because he knows what is about to happen, and because he's enjoying the situation.

When they're kissing, Colin has his hands on Owen's neck and on his face. Face touching, in particular, is extremely intimate, and close, and is scientifically shown to influence levels of attraction (the more you're attracted to them, the more you touch their face). Both Colin and Linda hold Owen, and touch him near his face/neck area, which creates the image of them being quite possessive, and intimate in a sexual manner. Owen has a similar dynamic in body language with Linda that he does Colin, showing his attraction to them both as similar. A woman touches him in the same way a man does, showing that Owen's relationships with men and women are equal, and he holds them in the same regard sexually.

This is Owen before and after Colin says "I am so having you", which is basically Colin saying he's going to have sex with Owen. It's difficult to see here because it's an awkward angle, and there is only a slight change in expression, but you can see Owen smile at Colin's words. Owen is happy/excited at Colin telling him that he's going to have sex with him, showing that Owen looks forward to the idea of having sex with men. This contradicts Owen's assumed heterosexuality when he is with Linda, and changes the audience's view of his character. The flirty "lad" character who we first see talking to women in a bar is not straight, which changes up the typical tropes associated with this character type (which includes usually homophobic)

It is obvious that Owen is very happy after kissing Colin, and is pleased by the idea of having a male/male/female threesome (which presents his bisexuality in a very simple way). Owen looks Colin up and down (checking him out in a sexual way), and grins. He looks thrilled, even moreso than when he kissed Linda.

At this point, after Colin says "I am so having you", Linda says "I'm having him first!".

Owen calls "Taxi!". This implies that Owen took both Linda and Colin home to have sex with them.

When Owen had been with only Linda, he hadn't been in a rush to go home with her, as you could see them casually walking down the street. After Colin gets involved, Owen makes haste, and quickly calls for a taxi, showing that a Colin (a man)'s involvement in sex made it more exciting for Owen. 

This scene is the first significant scene that the audience gets with Owen in the whole show, which gives us all of the main important information about him, which is:

  * he goes to bars/clubs (womaniser type, defies idea of a non-heterosexual man)
  * he enjoys kissing and has sexual attraction to women
  * he enjoys kissing and sexual attraction to men



This scene also gives the series its first same gender kiss. Torchwood is a show with many LGBT characters. Owen getting the first male/male kiss of the entire show is important, because it presents him as LGBT before any of the other characters, not even the ones who later develop same-gender romantic relationships.

Why would a man get to kiss another man in his defining character moment if he wasn't attracted to men? It would be a waste of character introduction to do that, as it is false information and would serve no purpose for the story, or for character development.

Considering all of this information, I think it is obvious that Owen is presented to be bisexual right from the first episode. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm doing this for mostly my own enjoyment (sad, I know) but if you're enjoying reading it let me know! Comments and kudos mean a lot.


	3. Day One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three! 
> 
> Owen doesn't do much gay stuff in this ep, but we can discuss his heterosexual interests and relationship with sex, and how he views lesbian sex/relationships.
> 
> Let me know if you see typos, etc etc. Kudos and comments appreciated greatly!

Day One shows Gwen at her first day of work, making this episode an extended introduction into the world of Torchwood. In Everything Changes, the audience got quick glances of the main characters. This episode helps us to get a better, clearer idea of what the characters are like. 

Now, because Day One centres on Gwen's first day, we mostly get to learn about the other characters via her interactions with them. Gwen talks to Owen quite a bit in this episode, so there's a lot to learn about him and his feelings toward the subject matter of this episode.

And, in true Torchwood fashion, what is the subject matter of Day One? Sex.

Owen's character is one that often revolves around sex. It is a part of his character that is established early on, and built upon through the course of the series. Out of the Torchwood team, Owen probably has the most sexual relationships. He doesn't have the most on-screen sex, but he is implied to frequent bars and clubs, and is no stranger to casual sex. 

Even in just this episode, Owen shows interest in/has someone interested in him three times. 

In this chapter, I'm going to explore Owen's treatment of women (Gwen in particular) and how it shows his masculinity. 

Near the beginning of the episode, the team are investigating a mysterious meteor that landed in Cardiff. Tosh is taking scrapings to test later and Owen is listening with a stethoscope. Gwen isn't doing anything, as she is new to the job and doesn't understand.

Owen says to her "Make yourself useful, sweetheart. Pass us the big chisel from the toolbox.".

Owen asking for the chisel from the toolbox pushes the idea of his heterosexual masculinity. Men are pushed to enjoy tools, and building things, because it makes them appear stronger, and more manly. Women aren't supposed to "understand" tools. If men aren't interested in "masculine" hobbies, like these, then they appear feminine. And, according to society? Feminine equals gay. Feminine equals bad. Gay equals bad.

The use of the word "sweetheart" can be seen as condescending, and/or misogynist. Gwen and Owen barely know each other, and it can be seen as odd for him to start calling her pet-names so early on in knowing each other. However, it is common in Britain (and especially England) for men to use pet-names like "sweetheart" and "love" to strangers. This fact makes this point arguable, but Gwen does seem to take offense at Owen's language.

This is usually something heterosexual men do, and presents the straight man/woman dynamic present in society, that Owen wants to adhere to to further push his image as a straight man. Men calling women by pet-names makes them seem more in control, as they have the upper hand in the conversation. Women calling people "love" and "sweetheart" is motherly, soft, whereas men doing it comes off as patronising, and/or flirtacious.

Also, because gay men have no sexual interest in women, they are seen less as "threats" to women than straight men are. Gay men are considered to not be as misogynistic as straight men, so Owen acting in a misogynistic way and making sexist statements pushes the idea of his heterosexual masculinity.

Owen's calling Gwen "sweetheart" can also be seen as a easy way to establish flirtation between them, which sets up their affair that begins in Countrycide. It also presents the early stages of their relationship well- Owen coming across like a patronising, and very heterosexual man, and Gwen getting annoyed at him ("Not sweetheart, Gwen. One syllable. Sure you can manage it.) 

This shows that they have a very unhealthy (hetero)sexual relationship, and dynamic, which will be expanded upon in the Cyberwoman chapter.

Owen pushes, playfully, almost flirtily, yet still determined to regain dominance and control over Gwen in the conversation- "Not Sweetcheeks? Freckles? New Girl?" 

Gwen keeps that control, though, by using sexual innuendo to humilate Owen, saying "It's a shame your tool's not big enough for the job, darlin'." This plays with the typical heterosexual man/woman dynamic, with the woman here instead having the dominance in the situation, instead of the man.

Another example of Owen's character being written as very sex-oriented is when the Torchwood team watch the tape from the club of the first victim dying after having sex with Carys.

The rest of the team look quite shocked, and not at all happy. Jack says the victim "came and went". Owen is the only one who snickers at that, showing his immature and sexual sense of humour. This further pushes his "lad" personality, childish and obsessed with sex. This is also shown in his following line: "Now, that's the way I'd likd to go."

After he says this, Tosh says "I'm sure we could arrange it." This line is odd, because she's saying they can arrange his death, because he's being so immature and annoying. But, it also means she can arrange for him to have sex until he dies, which implies a sexual interest on her behalf. This could just be a weirdly worded throwaway line, or it could be a subtle hint at the Tosh/Owen romantic interest which later develops through the show.

When Gwen asks the team if any of them have got partners, Owen responds "You've got to be joking. I can get all the grief I need here." 

This presents Owen's attitudes towards romance, and particually heterosexual romance. Straight men in relationships are often to seen to complain about their girlfriends/wives, and "jokingly" talk about what a burden they are. This mindset is mirrored in Owen's response. He views having a partner as having "grief", as being too much trouble than it's worth. This could be because of the societal pressure to hate partnerships, or because of his own grief after his fiancée's death. 

It also presents his view of Torchwood being a substitute for a romantic relationship. This could be because he joined Torchwood after he lost Katie, and never got to pursue another relationship due to the job. To Owen, a happy romance is unrealistic, just like is seems to many same-gender attracted people.

Now, let's look at Owen's reaction to a lesbian sexual situation (AKA the Gwen/Carys make-out scene).

Owen catches Gwen and Carys kissing on the CCTV footage of the cells. He looks mildly surprised at the situation, but zooms in on the footage to get a better look, and sits back in his chair to watch, saying "Hello. Happy birthday, me." 

This shows him enjoying the idea of two women kissing/potentially having sex. This is common in heterosexual men who watch lesbian pornography for their own "enjoyment". However, straight men who enjoy watching lesbian porn are often not actually supportive of lesbian romantic relationships, as it does not benefit them sexually, and goes against society's norm that they are comfortable with. Owen, on the other hand, does support female/female romantic relationships- he is never seen to be lesbophobic towards Toshiko when she is Mary in Greeks Bearing Gifts (and at that point, she can read his thoughts, so we know that he wasn't just being polite about it while secretly opposing it). 

Then, Owen calls over the team, saying "Oi, you lot. Treat." At this point in the series, the audience are aware that Jack is bi/pansexual and that Owen has a sexual interest in both men and women. Both Toshiko and Ianto at this point are assumed to be straight. Ianto isn't in this scene, so when Owen calls them over, he is aware that he's only calling Jack and Toshiko over. He calls it a "treat", knowing that they'll enjoy it. 

Owen also says later that he thinks Jack's gay, so why would he call Jack over? This also implies that Owen is aware that Tosh is also bisexual, as he thinks she will enjoy the female/female kissing. However, Tosh doesn't even seem to admit to herself that she's bisexual until Greeks Bearing Gifts. Maybe Owen has caught on to her behaviour/interest in the way that LGBT can recognise other LGBT people. Toshiko is closeted at this point, so he probably can see some part of the way she acts towards the matter in the way he does as another closeted bisexual person. Or perhaps they've discussed it in private? 

Owen looks very surprised at Gwen kissing a woman (possibly due to his own internalised heteronormativity, as he would have assumed Gwen to be straight, and never thought he'd be seeing her having a same-gender kiss). He also is very interested in the footage, most likely for his own sexual enjoyment out of it.

Owen then says "I thought she said she had a boyfriend." This can be interpreted in a few ways. He could just be pointing out Gwen's infidelity, showing no judgement towards her as homophobia, but for her cheating. However, considering Owen doesn't seem to ever be all too bothered after infidelity in the future, and the fact that he's aware the alien pheromones can influence a person's sex drive, he could basically be saying that "I thought she liked men". This, of course, would be brushing away bisexuality as a possibility, a thing that Owen is fully aware exists. 

Jack responds "You people and your quaint little categories." 

This is Jack talking as someone who was born in the 51st century (where everyone is pansexual and there is no stigma) in regards to the 21st century's ideas towards sexuality. He considers it close-minded.

After this comment, Owen smiles.

It could be seen as Owen just smiling at the female/female kiss. However, I think it's significant that he's been watching the footage for a while and didn't smile outright until Jack makes that comment, a comment specifically about how sexuality is fluid and can't be contained in a simple box.

After this, they realise that they should really go and help Gwen. Jack leaves first, then Tosh. Owen is last to leave, saying "Just record a bit first." Owen is willing to give up time that could be spent helping Gwen, who is new to the job and doesn't fully understand it yet, to record lesbian kissing on the computer. This shows just how much he likes sex.

When Gwen comes out of the cells after talking to Rhys on the phone, Owen applauds her, and says "Way to go, newbie. That is what I call a methodical investigation. I can't wait to see you take down her particulars." This is an obvious euphemism to mock Gwen/have a joke with her.

Gwen then pushes Owen against the wall, and the conversation is as follows:

OWEN: What are you doing? Get off me. 

GWEN: That girl's body is being overrun by I don't know what, and you think it's a joke? 

OWEN: All right. Jesus. I'm sorry. 

GWEN: We should be helping her. She's not some lab rat. 

OWEN: No, she's a murderer, and you were the one who wanted her caught. How come suddenly she's your best friend? 

It is very tense, and violent. There is an obvious dislike of Owen's behaviour from Gwen, and she is really angry at him. Owen doesn't seem to enjoy the situation, looking every bit as mad as she does.

However, Owen later shows sexual interest in Gwen ("I'd shag you.") despite this animosity between them. This further shows the unhealthy relationship and (hetero)sexual interest between them.

Another scene I'm going to talk about is the dinner scene in the conference room.

The team are gathered together, happily chatting and telling Gwen a story about one of their past adventures. As soon as Jack leaves the room to go to the bathroom, Owen and Toshiko ask Gwen what she knows about him. She says she doesn't, and says "You don't know anything?"

Owen responds "Not who he is, not where he's from. Nothing. Except him being gay." He says it in a very matter-of-fact way, as if he knows this for sure. Owen has seen Jack showing attraction to women before (he clearly enjoys watching Gwen/Carys), so it is strange that he thinks that he is gay.

It could be considered quite a binary viewpoint, as if Owen's trying to label Jack as either gay or straight, but nothing inbetween, even though Jack doesn't fit into either of those labels.

Why does Owen need to bring up Jack's sexuality? The conversation is nothing to do with sexuality. He brings it up because it's a topic he wants to talk more about, something he wants to address without having to talk about his own bisexuality. He probably wants to hear Gwen's input, to find out how she feels towards gay/bisexual men.

It can also be considered significant that Owen is the first character to not only have the first gay kiss/sex of the show, but also the first to say the word "gay". Despite every member of Torchwood Three having at least one gay kiss on-screen, the word isn't thrown around much in the first two series. Owen may be talking about it in relation to Jack, but he is the first to say it. And, in this scene, the _only_ one of them to say it.

Gwen says "No, he's not. Really, do you think?" The tone in which she says it makes me think of it as a very heterosexual response, as if she doesn't want to believe it (a "why are all the hot ones gay?" kind of response, typical of straight women). The fact that she doesn't think Jack likes men despite his flirting with Ianto is also quite oblivious of her. 

Tosh then says  "Owen does. I don't.".

Ianto claims "And I don't care." Ianto's response is interesting, because we know from Fragments that Jack and Ianto already had a mutual sexual interest. It shows how Ianto is keeping his own bisexuality secret at this point, which is important to note because of the similarites between their characters that I'll expand upon in later chapters.

Then, Owen supplies his proof that Jack is gay:

In the previous chapter, I discussed how Owen believes that the way someone presents themself is indictive of their sexual orientation. While there are certain trends/styles adopted by certain sexualities (earring in the gay ear, for example), style isn't 100% accurate to telling other's sexualities.

In society, there are two main common stereotypes of gay men- overly effeminite and camp, or overly large and seemingly masculine, yet still rather camp. Jack can be considered to fit into the latter. 

Owen has seen Jack flirt with/be attracted to women before (he's very interested in Gwen/Carys's kiss), but thinks "But Jack dresses and acts like this, so he must be gay." He tries to put Jack into a label he doesn't fit, instead of considering that Jack may be neither hetero or homosexual. This shows Owen's own erasure of bisexuality, which was most likely influenced by society telling him that he has to fit into one of those two boxes.

Owen equating style of dress to sexuality in this line shows that he is conscious of it. Owen is someone who is very aware of his appearance. When he dresses himself, he probably considers if he comes off as gay or straight, and chooses whatever makes him seem more heterosexual. Baggy, light coloured jeans, logo-d t-shirts, and button-up shirts are common outfits for him- the average mid-noughties straight man look.

Furthermore, Owen hides a lot of his personality. He hides his softer side, and tries to come across as almost rude/unfriendly to keep a distance. He's become bitter from years of unhappiness, and doesn't want to allow himself to get hurt again by caring too much. This shows a common theme of his character-the way he conceals so much of his real personality to avoid getting hurt/people viewing him a certain way.This directly links to his feelings towards his bisexuality, and how he wants to hide it as much as he can so he doesn't have to face up to the fact that he's not straight. 

One more scene that shows Owen's bad relationship with sex is when Toshiko and Gwen find him naked and handcuffed in one of the cells, after Carys tricks him. 

This moment in the narrative also serves as punishment for Owen's misogynist treatment of Gwen earlier on. He is naked. He is handcuffed. He is vulnerable. It makes him seen weak. Gwen and Tosh are both clothed, making them seem as if they have the power. He is the one being humiliated, not them. 

 Owen claims to have been "keeping an eye on her". He doesn't need to do this, as they have equipment that can do that for them. Owen is fully aware that Carys is dangerous, and that when men come into contact with her, they can be persuaded into sex with her, and, when they do, they die. He goes down to unnecessarily check on her anyway. What happens is inevitable, and he probably knows that. This shows danger as a possible turn-on for Owen. Even when the stakes are so high it could cost him his life, he's willing. This appears often throughout the series, showing the dangerous, often masochistic relationship Owen has with sex.

This self-hating streak is particularly prominent and common with his interests in and relationships with men, rather than women, a point I will expand on in later chapters. 

For now, though, I think that's as much as we can learn about Owen and his feelings towards sex and romance from Day One: not very positive. 


	4. Ghost Machine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (WARNING FOR MENTIONS/DISCUSSION OF RAPE!!!)
> 
> Updated a bit later than usual, sorry, I've had a lot of stuff going on, but here's chapter 4! I don't think I'm as happy with this chapter because I feel like I didn't talk about as much as I wanted to about it? Idk.

Ghost Machine is where we really get to see Owen character development. We've seen he's a bit of a jerk, we've seen he's a bit crass, but what else do we know about him?

This episode shows us that Owen is a lot kinder, and a lot more caring than he makes himself out to be. He's determined to find Ed Morgan and find justice for Lizzie Lewis, because of how strongly he feels about her case. 

Lizzie Lewis was raped and murdered by Ed Morgan in the 1963, but he was never convicted of the crime. However, he was definitely guilty. 

He lived out his life cooped up at home, too ashamed to face his neighbours because "they knew". According to files accessed by Toshiko, Morgan was admitted to a mental asylum in 1989. He was diagnosed "severe depression, agoraphobic", but was released almost seven weeks later.

Ed Morgan can be considered to be an antagonist of the episode, or just the "evil" of the episode. He is a killer, he is a rapist. He is not a good man, and the episode shows portrays him in that light.

When Owen sees him for the first time, with the use of the ghost machine, Morgan is very threatening. He is presented as intimidating, scary, and unwilling to let Lizzie Lewis go on her way.

The way the ghost machine works allows the person holding it to experience the emotions of someone else during an event that has already happened, or will happen (usually something traumatic, such as Thomas Erasmus Flanagan being left at the train station during his evacuation that Gwen experiences.)

In the episode, a comparison can be made of both Owen to Lizzie, and Owen to Ed Morgan. 

Firstly, Owen vs Lizzie:

With the use of the ghost machine, Owen feels Lizzie's emotions during the situation, which puts him in her place. He gets to feel her pain, and her fear that is due to the fact that Morgan was about to rape and kill her.

Lizzie is a woman. Women are largely more at risk of sexual harrassment, abuse, and rape than men are because of rape culture and the fact that in society, men treating women as lesser beings, and objects, is normalised.

Men generally do not fear rape as much as women due because it is less likely to happen to them. However, the fear of homosexual rape is common among heterosexual men, as they are scared of gay men treating them the same way as they treat women. They think of gay men as predatory to them, a threat to them, because of the fact that they are gay.

Being raped by another man can often make a man feel very ashamed, because men aren't supposed to be so weak, aren't supposed to let this happen to them. Being the submissive person in a situation like this makes a man feel emascualted, and scared to tell the truth about it. It makes them feel as if they are a weak "woman", who this usually happens to. They are the prey instead of the predator. It also takes away some of their dignity, and, like all rape, is a very horrible experience.

In Ghost Machine, Owen has Lizzie's emotions as she is about to get raped and murdered, as if he is her. This puts him in place of the woman in the situation. He is the "weak" one here. Ed Morgan has all the power. 

Having Owen feel what Lizzie's feeling exploits the fear of homosexual rape that is so prominent in heterosexual men, and even in Owen, as a closeted bisexual man. 

After the event, Owen very much sympathises with Lizzie. He becomes extremely involved in her case despite it no longer being investigated, as he wants her to have justice. The reason he obsesses so much over it is because he experienced it, too, and feels almost as much a victim as Lizzie was.

When Lizzie is talking to Ed Morgan in the sixties, she says to him, "You're a bad one, Ed Morgan. The girls said not to go with you, and they were right."

When Owen confronts Morgan in his house in modern-day Cardiff, he says the exact same thing as Lizzie did, showing just how clear the experience was in Owen's mind. It also pushes the comparsion between Owen and Lizzie herself, by having him repeat her exact dialogue. 

Secondly, Owen vs Ed Morgan, and similarities to the dynamic in Everthing Changes.

There are a surprising amount of similarites between Owen and Ed Morgan, despite the fact that Morgan is clearly an evil man, and Owen is one of our main characters, someone who we as the audience are supposed to root for.

Ed Morgan rapes Lizzie by cornering her in a secluded environment, where no one will find them, so he can do it. This is clearly shown to be wrong, and makes the audience think of Ed as a horrible man.

In Everything Changes, Owen picks up a couple with the use of the alien pheromone spray, which some viewers described as seeming a lot like date-rape. . The description of the spray does say that it only makes the user seem considerably more attractive than they are, which means it didn't force anyone against their will to have sex, but it can still seem a blurry line.

If it _was_ intentional in Everything Changes for it to seem like date rape, Ghost Machine can be seen as punishment for Owen's actions. He gets to experience rape as a victim, and see what it is really like. It helps to create Owen as a more likeable character, as he realises the error of his ways, and kickstarts his first major character development of the show. We get to see him being compassionate and determined to help, instead of snarking and bitter the entire time. 

While I don't think that it was the intention of the writers for it to come across as date rape, and that it was just a bad writing decision, Ed Morgan and Lizzie Lewis do have a similarity between Colin and Linda, the couple from Everything Changes. 

Both men are tall, brunette, and are violent. Colin starts conflict with Owen, and Morgan is violent towards Lizzie. 

Both women are blonde, and shorter than the men.

Colin and Linda were in a relationship, and Morgan had sexual feelings for Lizzie.

The similarites between the characters could be purposeful, to help create the audience associate the situations, and to show the comparsion of how rape is presented in each episode, and how it effects Owen's character in each one.

Owen's experiences with sex in this episode are limited to the Ed Morgan/Lizzie Lewis situation, so that's the majority of what we can explore, apart from a few other tiny bits of dialogue. 

When Gwen and Owen go to investigate Tom Erasmus Flanagan, earlier on the episode, Tom's daughter mentions they were watching the Strictly Come Dancing Finals. Owen asks who won, and she says "That newsreader."

Owen comments "Ooo. She's got legs up to her armpits, hasn't she?" This is a simple comment to easily show how Owen is your typical man, who is very interested in women sexually.

Owen is often shown throughout the series to talk about women casually, in this way, but never rteally does the same with men. He doesn't casually mention the attractiveness of men as he does women. This could be because of his fear of homophobia. Men are supposed to think women are attractive, so it's okay to talk about. It's not okay to talk about men being attractive, because it's wrong. He can't let strangers know that he is attracted to men in case they're homophobic and it creates a barrier between him and others. 

Furthermore, Owen going behind Jack (and the team)'s backs to investigate Ed Morgan, despite it not being a priority, shows the key motif of secrecy that is common throughout Torchwood. It also subtly shows how Owen hides things about himself. If Owen is able to hide his investigating, he can easily hide other things that he doesn't want the others to know about, i.e. his bisexuality. This also really links in with, and makes sense when you consider his characterisation. Owen is a very secretive man. He doesn't talk about his family, or his past. As the show goes on, the more we learn about Owen's past, and (arguably) the more we see him being attracted to men. 

His secret-keeping also makes him very similar to Ianto, who also doesn't talk about his family or past much. The similarites between Ianto and Owen are important to the presentation of their sexualities, and significant to their characters, which is why I will explore it in more depth in later chapters. 


End file.
